Whilst Belinda Bauer always writes about the darker side of life, in this novel she also manages to tell a story of sadness, loneliness and desperation in a very amusing way. Felix Pink is a member of the Exiteers, a secret group of people who sit with the elderly as the latter commit suicide painlessly by breathing in nitrous oxide. In other words, Felix is an ‘angel of death’, or so he likes to think. An ordinary, kindly, perhaps even boring man, his life suddenly becomes very complicated when he realises that he has witnessed the wrong man die!
When the police are called in to investigate, nothing is as it seems. Felix promises the mysterious Geoffrey, chief Exiteer, that he will lay low but he feels so guilty about the act inadvertently committed that he goes back to the scene of the crime again and again and again, and in doing so befriends Skipper, the man who was meant to die. But who actually planned the murder?
Bauer eventually leads us to the criminal by way of all manner of places in and around Bideford including the bookies, the police station, Hayley the cleaner’s filthy house and Geoffrey’s neat and tidy dwelling. The story is told mainly through the perspectives of Felix and local man PC Calvin Bridge, working for the cynical, brusque and funny DCI Kirsty King. Ironically, Felix has never felt more purposeful in his life and Calvin eventually owns his so-called shameful past! At times, the narrative is almost slapstick in its telling and this allows the author to explore the ethics of assisted dying with a light touch. Most of the elderly in ‘Exit’ have caring friends or family yet, by implication, Bauer’s novel also poses the question, ‘What happens to those who have no one to protect them?’ This is a comic read with a serious heart.
My thanks to NetGalley and Transworld, Penguin Random House for a copy of this novel in exchange for a fair review.

Thanks to Transworld and Netgalley for the review copy. I loved the new Belinda Bauer. She blends comedy with tragedy so well, prompting laughter and tears all within a chapter. Great characters and a mystery I wanted to solve, it was a perfect page turner. I also loved Felix Pink and Mabel! Grrrrrrr!

This is my first book by Belinda and I really enjoyed it. It’s a sad and strange storyline for a novel about assisted suicide and I wasn’t sure how I would feel reading about it but it was written in a very good way and you can’t help liking the characters even Mabel the dog and the ginger cat!! . I will definitely look to read more by this author

I’m a big fan of Belinda Bauer and adored ‘Snap’ therefore I was extremely excited to get into ‘Exit’. Yet again Belinda gives us such intriguing, lifelike characters that you can imagine living out their lives; they’re not always likeable and even those you are fond of have such realistic characteristics that you don’t always think fondly of them. I found myself caring about these characters and feeling sad for ones I had originally written off. It’s a punchy, fast paced story that kept me interested and still managed to surprise me right until the end. Belinda has a way of weaving a rich tale made up of complex characters and interesting, thought provoking story lines that never disappoint.

When I started this book I thought it was going to be a quite heavy read dealing, as it does, with assisted suicide. I could not have been more wrong, an almost farcical beginning leads on to a tale of misunderstanding, dysfunctional families and the wrong cat. Felix is the perfect (elderly) hero and the whole book just sings. I absolutely loved it.

A very weird and strange subject for a novel, after a few pages I didn’t think I could continue reading, however I persevered and surprisingly thoroughly enjoyed this novel. Despite the strange storyline one gets drawn into the characters and found the end surprising. Thoroughly recommended read.

Have read a few of Belinda’s books now and really enjoyed them. However, this one is in a league of its own!
Began and read in a day, completely unputdownable. Would highly recommend this tangled story, full of twists and turns.

What another brilliant book by this author it is the second one I have read of hers and was on the edge of my seat throughout. I would highly recommend to my friend's.

I love Belinda Bauer books and she never fails to capture me with her dark story-lines and intriguing plots. This book is no exception to that rule and was a fabulous read. This book features some wonderful characters with perhaps the best one been Felix Pink. A man who now in his 70's works as a volunteer for a group of people labelled the 'exiteers'. The 'exiteers' assist terminally ill clients take their own lives. Felix is an experienced member of the group who is paired with a newby volunteer Amanda for the first time. The client is assisted but unfortunately it is the wrong man. The police are tipped off and the case is investigated by DCI Kirsty King and DC Calvin Bridge. We are now told the story from the perspective of Felix Pink and Calvin Bridge, two excellent characters.
This book has everything including humour, first rate writing and a great entertaining read.
I would like to thank both Net Galley and Random House for supplying a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

I am one of Belinda Bauer’s biggest fans. Her writing is second to none and leaves you wanting more. It is normally tight, suspenseful and at times downright scary. Sadly I found Exit was none of these. Although at times amusing it was more Doc Martin v Dixon of Dock Green. It felt dated and I didn’t really care about the characters except the ginger cat.

I will be back Belinda but Exit was not for me.

I would like to thank the author, the publisher and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read an ARC of this book. I have read books by this author before and this one was a bit of a departure from the previous ones, it had a number of light hearted and humorous moments, it also had some twists and very good characters. I would definitely recommend it.

An enjoyable, well-written and often humorous thriller.
Felix Pink is a widower: a man who wears a beige jacket and used to be an accountant. But as an exiteer - assisting very ill people to die - this mild-mannered law abiding citizen becomes unwittingly embroiled in a murder.
Felix is a very endearing character and this novel is very sweet and gentle in its treatment of him.
The plot is naturally far-fetched and becomes fairly complicated but the characterisation is strong enough to make up for any incipient confusion regarding exactly what happened.
Bauer also has a nice comic turn of phrase.
Thoroughly recommended if you’re looking for a pacey and enjoyable, twisty and turny read.

I am grateful to Lilly Cox, Marketing Executive at Transworld and NetGalley for providing me with and Advanced Readers Copy. I read the book almost immediately; my only reservation being that the author, Belinda Bauer has in the past cautioned me about judging her work on an ARC.
It is so long since I read Snap that the author will have to forgive my impatience.
This is a story about euthanasia and assisted suicide and flags up some of the issues around this subject; where the law is unclear and how others may exploit that. Of course since the writer has had so long to cogitate on this plot for her latest bestseller we have a very grown up novel and a wickedly amusing book.
I am sure if Bauer has subscription to movies at home her choice of film favourites would include Arsenic and Old Lace, Kind Hearts and Coronets and The Lavender Hill Mob.
Not that there is anything monochrome about Exit it is a very modern story of people wanting to chose when to die, to minimise discomfort and pass with dignity.
Felix Pink works for a sitting service that provides two ‘Exiteers’ who will stay with the client through to the end. Felix is an old hand at this procedure but he is paired up with Amanda tonight for the first time. It is a straightforward assignment until something goes horribly wrong. Seemingly, beyond their control the wrong Mr Cann meets his maker more prematurely than intended. Further more the police have been tipped off, Felix is prepared to face the music but as things unfold he can only surmise they have been set up.
The story is then about the various characters involved, the police investigation and Felix’s sense of guilt but desire to understand why it all went wrong.
The author brings into consideration the various emotions, family loyalties, divided motives especially where care costs impact upon inheritance. There are some very deep feelings shared over loss and grief. I was especially moved by the things a diagnosis robs a patient of more than the countdown of a ticking clock.
The piece is an assemble of characters; no-one is left behind although it is Felix Pink and PC Calvin Bridge whose stories we follow to give structure to the piece.However, Belinda can formulate a true to life character from a couple of sentences to create a lasting image throughout the book.Even the pets become living, breathing participants and have roles to play. The humour is light, situational, social and incidental. Not at someone’s loss of face but through a use of language, misunderstanding or an inanimate object like a vending machine.
I also like the relationships exposed and tested, the sense of love and duty, the scope for people to grow and meet other people’s needs.
The writing is crisp and entertaining but there is a darker reality here that in the hands of a competent story teller is reached in a circular route and many surprises.
Probably destined to be a hit in 2020 and talked about throughout the year. Belinda Bauer is back and lost none of her passion and skill.

Felix Pink, a 75-year-old widower, spends his time working with a group called the 'Exiters' who help those who have chosen to take their own life due to terminal illness. Their role is largely a companion and they do not get involved in the actual death.

After his usual partner decides to leave the group, Felix is paired with the young Amanda for his next Exit and things do no go according to plan.

Despite initially thinking he is going to be punished for murder, some things do not quite make sense and Felix wonders if there is more to the events of that night than a simple mistake.

This sets the scene for a thriller, injected with comic moments, the idea of the 75-year-old Felix feeling like he is on the run being just the first of many. There are plenty of twists and every time you think you have cracked the mystery another is thrown in.

A generous cast of unique characters is introduced throughout the book and the book finishes by tying up all loose end with the wonderful final twist in the tale.

The book started quite slowly and I was briefly worried I was not going to be as excited by the story as I eventually became. I am so glad I persevered. Highly recommended.

The Exiters are people who support people who take their own life. Specifically, people with Cancer, MS, etc, who are on end of life care, in a lot of pain and want to take control of how they exit the world. The Exiters can not help or assist in any way in order to stay on the right side of the law, they are simply there to witness and to ensure that these people are not alone in their final moments.

The Exiters always work in pairs, keep a copy of a waiver signed by the client and a copy of the clients will to prove that they do not benefit from the clients death. Experienced Exiter Felix is paired with a new girl, Amanda. When the client is struggling for breath and drops his N2O max, Amanda panics, catches it and hands it back to him. Bad enough, but on leaving the property they discover that they have killed the wrong person.

I was not sure about this book at the beginning, and through the first half there were certainly parts that moved slower than I would have liked. However, generally the story moved at a decent pace and the concept is interesting. There are a few twists and I figured a third of them out before I was 25% through the story. The others I thought I had figured out until I came to that particular reveal in the book and was absolutely on the wrong track.

I loved the ending - without spoiling anything I thought it was pretty perfect for the book. Considering the length of this book and the standard available for this genre, 3/5 stars is a good score. It could have possibly been a bit higher but there are a lot of errors. The word Exit appears randomly in the middle of sentences throughout, words are spelt wrong and paragraphs start in the middle of sentences and sometimes words. Also, I think the concept of the story will stick with me longer than the actual story itself and it's characters. It's a good speed read for on a plane, or picking up for the odd five minutes on public transport.

Hopefully the errors in format, spelling, etc will be corrected prior to the books release.

5 star all the way as Belinda Bauer does it again! Felix Pink 75 and 23 year old Amanda are Exiteers. Their role is to aid but not assist those who are terminally ill make a dignified exit. The Exiteers led by Geoffrey Skeet, do not break any laws and are careful not to blur any lines although most Exiteers and certainly Felix, regard their actions as an act of kindness. Unfortunately at one exit something goes wrong and this unleashes a catastrophic chain of events that challenges Felix and Amanda. The ensuing drama is investigated by DCI Kirsty King and PC/DC Calvin Bridge among others. The story is told principally from the perspective of Felix and Calvin.

Felix is such a lovely character. He’s a widower who channels his dead wife’s thoughts and his constant companion is his judgemental but adorable dog Mabel. Felix is charming but doesn’t realise it, he’s old fashioned, old school, honourable, honest and a real gentleman. Even the police officers who question him are charmed! Calvin Bridge is an interesting character, saddled with a criminal family from whom he’s estranged, he likes a bet but he’s not very good at it and he’s struggling to find his niche in the force. Kirsty King is very likeable too.

The novel is so vividly written you glide through it. It’s full of wit and humour and though there are occasions in the drama that I know i shouldn’t have been laughing but it’s so darned funny and you can’t help yourself. There are some hilarious mixups for example when Felix is brought in for questioning that are particularly good. The plot hangs together really well and has the prescribed twists and turns for fans of this genre and the twists are really clever! A really intriguing chain of events leads to some surprising outcomes and the unmasking of a villain purporting to be on the side of the angels. I love the Devon setting and some of the characters colloquialisms raise a smile. The end is good and very appropriate as it’s sad but makes you smile.

Overall, a first class read which is hard to put down and is without doubt another winner from this outstanding author who has a unique ability to blend crime with humour while presenting us with believable characters and plots. Highly recommended.

Big thanks to NetGalley and Random House UK, Transworld for the ARC.

Exit is superb; a perfect blend of clever twisty thriller and offbeat humour. Belinda Bauer has delivered a book which is in equal parts full of warmth, smartly observed whimsy, tight plot and gasps as the story unfolds. The characters are a a highlight and Felix, Skipper, Mabel and Toff will stay with me for quite some time.

Exit is more akin to A Man Called Ove than work such as Snap and Blacklands and I would thoroughly recommend it.

With many thanks to Random House (Transworld) and Netgalley for an advanced copy in consideration of an honest review.

I thoroughly enjoyed Exit by Belinda Bauer. It wasn't so much a whodunnit as a did-someone-do-it-and-if-so-why-dunnit. There were heroes and there were baddies, some of which swapped places. There was comedy and there was tragedy, and some moments which were both comedic and tragic simultaneously. All the characters were well drawn and believable, so I was really invested in their stories. Even Mrs Coral's fruitcake had a personality.

I don't want to spoil the excellent story by revealing any of the plot, but I can say that all the loose ends were tied up nicely and in a satisfying way, which I think is important for a mystery.

Apart from Rubbernecker, I hadn't read any Belinda Bauer novels before. I intend to rectify that omission as soon as possible. Exit completely deserves five shining stars from me.

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for providing an advance copy in exchange for an honest review

delightful book by belinda bauer even though its storyline is all to do with helping people to die .i so loved mr pink and the situations he found himself in .a nice little twist at the end too .loved it !!

I really enjoyed this authors previous book, and couldn't wait to read this one.I was not disappointed, in fact I loved it and couldn't read it fast enough.I love her sense of humor and the story and pace of the book were great,and there were some surprises ,it was great.Thanks to the Publishers and Netgalley for an ARC.